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As the president of a communications firm, with a14-year daily yoga practice, it’s been extraordinary to see how the lessons I’ve learned from my teacher and the practice have benefited my work. Following are three ideas, phrases, and strategies that I guarantee will benefit your business (and smooth your life):

More Isn’t Better. Better is Better

I don’t know what your reaction to your first backbend was, but I thought I was going to have to spend the rest of my life in traction. Once I realized I might still be able to walk upright the challenge was on. I became obsessed with getting my back to bend. One day my teacher stopped me. “More isn’t better,” he said. “Better is better.”

These became words to live by, both on the mat and in the office, and I think you’ll discover the same is true once you incorporate this idea into your world. Most presentations aren’t better for being longer, most conference calls aren’t better for being extended, most meetings aren’t more productive because you spent time in the room.

It’s just that in this age super-sizing everything from hamburgers to automobiles, we’ve become addicted to the idea that more is better. I’m here to ask you to join my revolution—to tattoo on your brain, if not your backside, that ‘More isn’t better. Better is better.”

“Can You Tell Me Why You’re Doing it That Way?”

A few years ago, I was teaching yoga quite a lot. And, as with many new teachers, I had a lot of ideas about how things ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ be done by my students-- mostly, that things should be done exactly the way I said they should be done.

Over the years, however, as I’ve taken, and taught, more classes I realized that when I, or my students, were modifying something it was generally for a reason. I also realized that if a teacher corrected me without inquiring into my reason it made me cranky. This made life a lot easier because it taught me the magic phrase, “Can you tell me why you’re doing it that way?”

What’s the beauty of this phrase? Well, it begins with the presumption that the person in question has a smart and justifiable reason for the choice they’ve made—and who doesn’t enjoy feeling like they’re smart and making good decisions? And if they don’t have a good reason, the fact that you began by assuming they did makes them far more likely to listen to you when you correct them.

Another reason “Can you tell me why you’re doing it that way?” is so useful is that it’s just possible someone is doing it that way because they have misinformation or a better idea/more complete information than you do, in which case you have a chance to learn something—always a plus.